snoop

Everyday

1. To snoop is to look secretly around a place or into someone's private things to find out about them. tree →
2. A snoop is a person who snoops, someone nosy. tree →
3. (informal) To snoop on someone is to spy on them or watch what they do. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life snooping means poking into things that are not yours, like reading someone's diary or looking in drawers; it is seen as rude. In stories detectives and nosy neighbours snoop to find clues. Phrases: «snoop around», «snoop on someone», «snoop through», «a nosy snoop».

Examples

• Stop snooping in my bag! tree →
• My little brother snooped around my room while I was out. tree →
• The detective snooped through the old letters looking for a clue. tree →
• Our neighbour is such a snoop; she always watches from her window. tree →
• I caught him snooping on my phone. tree →
• The cat snooped about the kitchen for scraps. tree →
• Apps should not snoop on what children do online. tree →

Note

Mostly informal. Past: snooped. Usually negative: calling someone a snoop is a mild insult. Similar: pry, nose about, spy. «Snoopy» is the name of a famous cartoon dog, and «snoopy» (adjective) means nosy.